The heaviest September rain in half a century has fallen over the Pilbara region of Western Australia overnight, with heavy rain still to come for a majority of Australia’s desert areas. Widespread falls of 20-50mm fell over the Pilbara and Kimberley on Saturday night and is continuing on Sunday. Some of the standouts in the […]
It’s been a very active thunderstorm week in the Pilbara and Gascoyne region, with thousands of lightning strikes detected in the region. The thunderstorms were triggered by a near-stationary trough sitting along WA’s west coast, paired with an unstable airmass and unseasonably warm conditions. The images below show the lightning strikes (pink), cloud and rain […]
The mercury is rising in WA over the coming days with parts of the Pilbara and Kimberley are forecast to see temperatures reach at least 36°C for five consecutive days. This prolonged period of spring warmth is being caused by a stubborn high pressure system sitting over the Bight for the rest of the week […]
This spring is shaping up to be an unusually warm and stormy season for Australia, with some parts of the country also likely to see an increased risk of fires. Australia has entered spring off the back of its warmest August and second warmest winter on record. The end of winter was also very dry […]
Australia’s warmest August on record has laid the foundations for an increased risk of fires in multiple states and territories this spring. According to the latest Australian Seasonal Bushfire Outlook, which was released on Wednesday, large areas of Australia will have an increased risk of fires this spring. The red shading on the map below […]
Total Fire Bans (TFBs) have been issued for Greater Sydney and the Illawarra in NSW, a month ahead of the typical start to the fire season. Gale force winds are once again blowing across eastern Australia ahead of a cold front; the third such system in the last seven days after damaging winds on both […]
The heaviest August rain in almost half a century has fallen in a town to the north of Perth on Wednesday morning, as a very unstable airmass moved across the region. A coastal trough extending from offshore Two Rocks to Bullsbrook and a cold front sweeping across southern WA triggered severe thunderstorms on Wednesday morning. The […]
Darwin just registered its wettest July in 23 years, although it’s unlikely a single umbrella was raised throughout the month. July marks the middle of the NT’s dry season, which runs from May to September and typically includes periods of weeks to months without any rainfall in Darwin. This long spell of low rainfall occurs […]
Parts of the Pilbara, Kimberley, WA’s interior, and inland SA are about to see a prolonged period of wet weather, as an upper-level trough moves over the region. The image below shows the upper-level trough over the Pilbara region on Friday night, which will slowly progress further east into central Australia on the weekend. Images: […]
El Niño–favourable conditions are gathering pace across the tropical Pacific, with key ocean indicators approaching threshold levels and early atmospheric responses emerging. While uncertainty remains around final El Niño strength, historical analogues show that even weak events can generate widespread impacts, including reduced rainfall, warmer daytime temperatures, increased frost risk, elevated fire danger, reduced tropical cyclone activity, and more. Industries including […]
Australia has just experienced a highly impactful tropical cyclone season, with more than 60% of systems reaching severe intensity, causing widespread disruption and damage to communities and multiple industries across northern Australia. The 2025–26 Australian tropical cyclone season officially ran from 1 November 2025 to 30 April 2026. During this six-month period, Australia saw 11 tropical cyclones, with nine […]
There are signs that a very strong, or ‘super’ El Niño could develop in the tropical Pacific Ocean later this year. So, what does this mean for Australia’s weather during the second half of 2026? El Niño on the horizon The tropical Pacific Ocean is currently in a neutral state, meaning neither El Niño nor […]
Intense heat from bushfires during elevated fire danger days can trigger fire-induced pyrocumulonimbus thunderstorms that ignite additional fires. In early January 2026, an extreme heatwave sweeping over southeastern Australia brought catastrophic fire danger to Victoria. Intensely hot bush and grass fires spread erratically and quickly in hot, dry and gusty winds, with pyrocumulonimbus generating lightning, […]
